Another Tire Thread (but I'm a visual learner)

[the_nutt]

I'm tire shopping, like everyone else and their brother, for a '73 CB450. I've been trolling the search area and tire threads for weeks, and have found conversion charts that are helpful, read reviews, and taken in all sorts of useful information; but all I really want is to see pictures of a CB450 or similar bike, and to know what tire sizes I'm looking at in the pictures. I'm down to just a couple of size choices, and am just hoping to be able to see the slight difference.

I am not trying to put monster truck tires on my moto, I understand the safety risks with even going up one size. I would just like to see what that one or two size up looks like.

Also, right now my choices are narrowed down to Avon Roadriders, or Metzler Lasertec.

Thanks in advance for the assistance, and I apologize for another tire thread.

- Cody

 

[teazer]

Cody, both of those are good choices. Tires vary by manufacturer quite considerably and one company's 100/90 may look quite different to another company's 100/90.

Narrow tires are harder to get than they were back in the day, but stick to the manufacturer's recommendations. If AVON say that say a 90/90 is best on a 2.15 but is OK from 1.85-2.50 that means it's about as fat as can be fitted on a WM2 (1.85") rim. The next size up is 100/90and it's supposed to fit on a 2.50" rim and is OK from 2.15-2.75.

Someone will squeeze that onto a 1.85 rim and it will work, but not as well as the 90/90. In fact there's probably less rubber on the road because of the way it's pinched on the rim. If you really want fat tires, you need fat rims and then everything starts to rub and so it goes on.

Older bikes generally handle best on stock sized wheels and tires.

 

[teddpage]

http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=13854.0

Theres a link to my build. The bike had a 90/90-19 on the front and a 100/90-18 on the back when i picked it up. I went to a 100/90 on the front and went with a 120-80 on the back. The 120 is a little too wide for the rear...it crowns the tire. My father however runs a 4.00-18 on the back of his and it looks perfect! Hope this helps at least a little bit....any questions feel free to hit me up.

 

[the_nutt]

http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=13854.0

Theres a link to my build. The bike had a 90/90-19 on the front and a 100/90-18 on the back when i picked it up. I went to a 100/90 on the front and went with a 120-80 on the back. The 120 is a little too wide for the rear...it crowns the tire. My father however runs a 4.00-18 on the back of his and it looks perfect! Hope this helps at least a little bit....any questions feel free to hit me up.

Thanks for the link to the pictures. I ended up ordering a 100 front and a 120 rear. The tire that is dry-rotting on it now is a 4.00. If its not ideal I'll build a new wheel this winter.

Thanks again for the help guys!

 

[Big R]

Be careful with a 120 rear. If that thing comes off the bead at ANY speed you're screwed.

If you want fatter tires, relace some fatter wheels too.

 

[teddpage]

Yea i meant to throw that in there...but got sidetracked. I plan on getting new rims laced up possibly this winter so that the rear tire fits the rim much better. The front seems to fit the stock sized rim perfectly tho.

 

[the_nutt]

Be careful with a 120 rear. If that thing comes off the bead at ANY speed you're screwed.

If you want fatter tires, relace some fatter wheels too.

I plan on replacing the rim this winter/spring as well. The 4.00 rear that is on it now seems to fit fine, with no visible bulge. I'm definitely not hitting it hard on this thing though.

Thanks again guys.